


The Escapades of the Blind Bandit and Meathead: Damage Control

by ArtemisRae



Series: Escapades of the Blind Bandit and Meathead [8]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-03-19
Updated: 2007-03-19
Packaged: 2017-10-03 19:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisRae/pseuds/ArtemisRae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sokka and Toph face certain, inalienable truths.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Escapades of the Blind Bandit and Meathead: Damage Control

**Author's Note:**

> This, once again, is a touch more relantionshippy than I'm used to. I know I've said before, I much prefer the "Drinking Buddies with Benefits" version of Sokka and Toph than any Troooo Luuuv versions, just because I think that's more true to their natural personalities... but for some reason that doesn't seem to stop me. I was in the mood for something a touch more serious, and this is what came out.

* * *

The clay tiles were warm underneath him as he settled down next to her. Hooking his arms around his knees, he followed her blank eyes out past the estate, the walls, and even farther still towards the horizon, where the sky was clean and light blue, not a cloud in the way as the sun approached its zenith at midday. He was grateful to be out here, and not in one of the stuffy buildings below them; he'd had to wait forever until the coast was clear to avoid people asking questions and drawing him into search parties and therefore wasn't surprised that she had arrived on the roof before him despite the fact that they hadn't agreed to meet there.

Surprisingly, Toph spoke first. "Think of how much money is being wasted right now."

A half grin rose on Sokka's face. "They'll all be having heart attacks."

She laughed, then groaned, and buried her head in her hands. "So have they called out the search parties yet?"

"Yeah." His thumbnail had somehow found its way into his mouth. He gnawed at it anxiously.

"I could go down there and make it a lot easier for them."

"Who cares?" Sokka shrugged. "There's going to be bloodshed tonight no matter what you do."

Toph laughed again before quickly sobering up. Dropping back into her usual position with her arms behind her head, she said, almost a little too casually, "Forget them anyway. We need to talk about _us_."

Normally words that would strike fear into Sokka's heart, but he'd been expecting this conversation. Mostly, he was just surprised that it hadn't come sooner. "I know."

"It feels different, doesn't it?" she said softly, after drawing in a hitched breath. "It's not right."

His eyes never strayed from the horizon. He could hear the raw emotion in her voice and he was afraid that if he broke his gaze to look at her he'd see something else she didn't want him to see. "It hasn't been for a while," he agreed softly, closing his eyes and bowing his head.

It hurt, admitting that their relationship had gone beyond their control; that they'd been helpless to control the events surrounding them and that as a result, the bond between them had been damaged.

"It's just…" he trailed off. "With your parents-" Her parents loathed Sokka. They thought he was clumsy and disrespectful and not at all a suitable match for the heir of their fortune. "And my responsibilities at home –" The end of the war had found him highly in demand to serve as an ambassador for the rebuilding Southern Water Tribe, forcing him to travel constantly. "And your responsibilities here-" Despite her best efforts, she'd been drawn into court life, and while she liked using her political prowess to help Aang's cause, it also meant that she was stuck in the Earth Kingdom while Sokka was running around between nations. Their lives had grown beyond each other.

Toph stiffened, and then sat up. Putting a finger to her lips, she pointed down to the street beneath them. Peering over the roof's edge, Sokka only glimpsed the trio who were going from building to building, holding pictures and descriptions, before rolling his eyes and turning his attention back to Toph.

She was curled up now, chin resting on her knees as she watched the people moving below her through the clay roof and the stone walls. "So that's it then," she said blankly. "That's why you've been acting so weird."

"_I've_ been acting we-?!" His exclamation was cut off when she balled a fist and decked him, right in the ribs.

"You idiot!" she berated, her face flushing, her eyes growing bright. Toph seemed to tower above him, despite the fact that they were both sitting as she raged at him. "You're letting other people make decisions for you! Those are reasons _other_ people think we can't be together!"

For a moment he goggled, mouthing like a gasping fish as he held his side and searched for words, but years of arguing with Toph had made him used to this position and he quickly found his ground. "Look, if you're out here with me, then clearly you've listened to them too."

She tilted her head and considered his words. "You're right," she agreed, sounding almost cheerful. "I have." A grin stretched across her face, and Sokka found himself wondering what ridiculous things people had been telling _her_ about their relationship - and whether or not he was allowed to punch her back now.

"We've been going about this the wrong way," she announced, crossing her legs and laying back once again. "We've been so determined to prove everyone wrong we nearly-" She cut herself off and shook her head, giving a small, giddy laugh.

"We need to do this our way," she said simply.

He didn't respond for a moment, considering her suggestion and the new possibilities that it could open up. As usually happened between the two of them, he felt a sudden need to up the ante, to try and top her, to see how serious she truly was.

"We could run away," he threw out, the words hanging in the warm, stagnant summer air.

And, as usually happened between them, she met his challenge and surprised him. It was something that happened so often that it _shouldn't_ have surprised him anymore, but hell – that was half the reason he loved her anyway.

"We could run away," she agreed, sitting up again and twirling a piece of hair around one of her fingers. Then, as if suddenly suspicious of his intentions, she added, "Just run away, right? Nothing else?"

"If I wanted anything else I wouldn't be on this roof with you right now," he said grumpily.

In response, her face split into a grin, that slightly maniacal one that he'd come to know so well and would have loved if it weren't for the pit of fear it always put into his stomach. That _they won't know what hit them_ grin. Her head bobbled in agreement, her tongue darting out to lick her lips as she thought about it.

"We _should_ run away," Toph said, with almost malicious satisfaction. "Where should we go?"

"Wherever we want," Sokka answered automatically. "We do it our way."

"What should we take?" she asked quizzically, uncharacteristically taking the role of scientist, analyzing his wild idea, a reversal from their usual positions.

"Everything. Nothing. Whatever we want."

There was a moment of silence between them. "Well?" he asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"Let's go." She shrugged, acquiescing. "But first-"

He looked at her, patiently waiting for her request. Below them, another search party noisily passed through the door.

"Help me out of this dress," she groused, turning her back to him and scooting closer. "I can't exactly run away in my bridal clothes, can I?"

* * *


End file.
